Forget diamonds, dogs are now a girl's best friend

IT TURNS out dogs, not partners, are the key to getting a warm welcome home which is usually the case for Kim Parker.

The Toowoomba dog lover owns two staffordshire bull terriers, Coco and Zeus, and said she often finds herself greeting her precious pooches before her partner when she arrives home.

"I will often go straight to the backyard and greet the dogs first," she said.

"I also want to check they are still there and ok. I'm like an anxious mother."

Going by results from a new Galaxy Research survey on female pet owners, Kim is not the only one who loves the warm welcome.

The survey, conducted by Woolworths Pet Insurance, found nearly half of women want to cuddle their four-legged friend before anyone else in their household and that seven in 10 admit to feeling down when their pets aren't around.

"They definitely get treated like kids in our household. They are very spoilt and usually top priority," Kim said.

"If they're ever not at home the house feels really empty and lonely and it's just not the same."

Maybe not surprising for all women, the research also found two thirds of the females surveyed rated their cat or dog as better listeners than their partner.

"Well I wouldn't agree that they are better listeners," Kim said.

"But they both have big personalities and are always up to something. They're quite entertaining really."